1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to license plate fasteners, and more particularly to ornamental fastener head covers that also function to attenuate transmission into the license plate of vibration exciting inputs.
2. The Prior Art
The installation of a license plate onto the front and rear license plate mounts of a motor vehicle is a widely practiced event. Typically, the license plate is formed as a thin metal stamping of a generally rectangular planform that is provided with plural fastener openings along the edges thereof. Since each license plate set is stamped with a unique set of raised alphanumeric symbols there is inherently an uneven stress distribution impressed into the plate during the stamping, distorting the plate surface by these varying levels of pre-stress. One therefore rarely obtains a license plate that is perfectly flat. Of course, the vehicle manufacturer provides only a flat mounting surface and these pre-stress distortions are therefore a constant source of rattling and other noise.
These uneven stress levels also affect the efficacy of any mounting process. Typically the vehicle manufacturer provides fastening holes in the license plate mount that are then threadably captured to various levels of compression by machine screws or other fasteners inserted and turned by the vehicle owner. Quite often either excessive or insufficient levels of compression result and in both instances plate vibrations are produced either due to the loosening of the fastener or permanent distortion of the plate thickness itself. This inadequate fastening process is then rendered even more offensive by the poor visual presentation of the exposed fastener ends. A visually attractive fastener arrangement that also includes vibration attenuating structures is therefore universally desired and it is one such fastener arrangement that is disclosed herein.